Former Headmaster of Kumasi High School, Mr Bernard Hall-Baidoo, has urged private schools across the country to keep themselves abreast of the new Ghana Education Service (GES) curriculum to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
He said effective implementation of the curriculum would help private schools strengthen their academic performance and compete favourably with public schools in external examinations.
Mr Hall-Baidoo stressed that the quality of teachers remained critical to improving students’ academic outcomes, urging private school authorities to employ competent teachers and support them to continuously upgrade their knowledge.
“Private schools must employ more quality teachers who are ready to equip themselves with knowledge and keep abreast of the new curriculum,” he said.
Speaking on Otec FM’s morning show ‘Nyansapo’, hosted by Kwaku Owusu Boateng on Tuesday, he said teachers must not rely solely on traditional methods of teaching but should understand the requirements of the current curriculum and translate them effectively into classroom instruction.
“When teachers understand the curriculum and are properly equipped to teach it, the students will benefit, and that will ultimately reflect in their performance in external examinations,” he stated.
Mr Hall-Baidoo further warned that private schools could continue to struggle to match the performance of public schools if they failed to address issues relating to teacher quality and curriculum implementation.
“Until we do this, public schools will continue to record better grades in WAEC examinations because they have trained and better-equipped teachers,” he emphasised.
His comments come amid concerns raised by the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) over the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
GNAPS has accused the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) of grading discrepancies and called for an audit of the provisional results, citing cases where some results allegedly did not reflect candidates’ expected academic performance.
WAEC has, however, rejected allegations that it deliberately disadvantaged candidates from private schools, insisting that all candidates are assessed as one cohort under the same standards.
In response to the controversy, Mr Hall-Baidoo said private schools should also focus on strengthening their internal teaching systems and teacher capacity.
“Rather than concentrating only on the grading system, private schools must look at what happens in the classroom and ensure that the teachers and students are adequately prepared,” he said.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Francis Appiah
